Things Change
by michellemtsu
Summary: Missing scene from Click


**Author's note:** This story has been driving me nuts for 4 days! It was yelling "Write me!" So here it is. It's a missing scene from _Click_. It picks up right after Mick leaves to sleep in his freezer. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Moonlight_, we'd have gotten renewed already!

Beth rolled her eyes and sighed as Mick headed up the stairs. _So much for a goodnight kiss._ Not that she was expecting one. She wasn't. OK, that was a lie. But, honestly, who wouldn't expect a goodnight kiss from their kinda sorta vampire boyfriend before he ran off to his freezer? Maybe their rooftop kiss was a fluke. Maybe Mick didn't ache for her as much as she ached for him. Beth closed her eyes and thought about that kiss. No, it wasn't possible. She could still feel the urgency, desire and love on his lips. She knew he wanted her. But he was terrified. Terrified of a myriad of things. Losing her. His ability to control the vampire within. Getting hurt. Yeah, that was the biggie. He was afraid that if he let her get too close, they'll crash and burn and he'll have to carry the scars for eternity.

Didn't he know that she'd rather cut off her own arm than hurt him? They'd been through so much so quickly. After everything they've been through, he was still her guardian angel, still the first thing she thought about when she woke up in the morning and the last thing she thought about at night. And now she was here. In his loft. While he slept upstairs. For all her frustration, Beth understood what a big step that was for him. In the practical sense, it was their only option. There were too many paparazzi for them to drive to her place. However, in the psychological sense, it was huge. He invited her to stay with him. OK, not in the way she was hoping for but he invited her nonetheless. He trusted her in his space. She would see him in the morning. She'd get to see him start his day. Beth grabbed the afghan throw from the couch. Might as well get some sleep. She kicked off her shoes and laid the blanket on the couch. With a glance toward the staircase, Beth reached up under her shirt and unclasped her bra. There was no way she'd be able to sleep if she left it on. Beth finagled it out from under her shirt and tossed it into her bag. She walked to the wall and hit the switches for the lights and fireplace. The loft was plunged into darkness.

Slowly, Beth made her way back to the couch and lay down. She threw the afghan over her and rested her head in the pillow. It smelled like Mick. Beth inhaled deeply and drifted off to sleep, a smile gracing her lips.

Several hours later, Mick woke with a groan. He couldn't believe he'd woken up again. Trying to get a decent night's sleep with the knowledge that Beth was downstairs was not something he'd recommend. What had he been thinking? Was he trying to torture himself? _Uncomplicate it,_ Tierney had said. Good advice for practically everyone else. But not for him. He had too much baggage, too many scars. And that wasn't including the whole vampire thing. Being human had given him hope. Hope that happy endings do happen. Hope that things could be different. That he could be different. Still there was that nagging voice in his head. The one that told him that he didn't deserve to be happy, that he was a monster. He'd done a valiant job ignoring that voice since he'd turned back. But every now and then the muzzle came off, just like it had a few hours ago when he invited Beth to stay the night.

His ears perked up. Beth was stirring. Mick lifted the lid on his freezer, listening intently. He heard Beth coming up the stairs. He tensed. His freezer room was never locked. What if she came in? Mick heard her pause on the other side of the door. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when she moved on. A minute later he heard water running. _Beth must be taking a shower._ Despite the freezing temperature, his cock twitched. Mick closed his eyes thinking about the last time Beth had been in his shower. He'd wanted her so badly that night. It took every ounce of control he possessed not to throw her over the side of the couch and fuck her senseless. Probably would have simplified matters if he had. But he hadn't. He hauled her under the cold shower and held her until she came down from her high. Then he peeled off her wet dress, dried her off, and put one of his shirts on her. It was torture to be able to see and touch the woman he loved but could never have. That memory still haunted him.

And now here she was. She was free. He was free. The only thing between them was the wall he'd erected so many years ago. _You are such a fucking coward, St. John. You didn't even kiss her goodnight last night._ As he listened to the water running, Mick's hand unconsciously drifted to his hardening shaft. _You have no problem fantasizing about her, but when it comes to actually doing something you run away like you're being chased by the devil himself. Get a grip. She's not going to wait around forever._

"Fine," Mick muttered. He heard the water shut off. Ever the gentleman, Mick waited until Beth had gone downstairs before he exited his freezer. Mick ran for the shower and doused himself in ice cold water. He couldn't let Beth see how she affected him. When he was confident that he had gotten control of himself, Mick threw on his red pajama pants and headed downstairs. Beth was sitting at his table, looking at her laptop and eating an apple. Her hair was still damp from the shower. She was exquisite.

"Morning," Mick said, entering the kitchen.

Beth looked up from her laptop and nearly dropped her apple. There was Mick, standing shirtless in his kitchen. Beth gulped loudly. Mick gave her one of his wonderful half smiles. He was both flattered and embarrassed by her lustful gaze. Suddenly, he was glad for the island in the kitchen. Right then, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her and hear her scream his name in ecstasy, but they weren't ready for that. Not yet. If this was going to work, they needed to crawl before they could walk. _Stick to the basics._

"Did you sleep well?" Mick asked.

Beth snapped out of her reverie. "What? Oh, yes, I did. The couch was very…comfy."

"Good," Mick said as he turned to his secret fridge. He pulled out a bag of A positive and went to get a glass. When Mick returned to the counter, Beth was standing across from him looking at him curiously.

Mick lowered his eyes, embarrassed. Beth had never seen him feed before. Well, except for the desert. But this was different.

Beth sensed his hesitation. "It's OK, Mick. You don't have to be embarrassed. Vampires have to eat, or in this case drink, their breakfasts too." She held up her half eaten apple. "See? We'll eat together."

Mick looked at Beth as if he were really seeing her for the first time. Beth's capacity to cope never ceased to amaze him. She was like a chameleon, able to adapt to any situation effortlessly. Now she wanted to have breakfast together. Mick smiled. "It's a date."

Beth smiled back at him and went to resume her seat at the table. Mick joined her a minute later with his glass of blood. As they ate, Mick and Beth talked about their case. Mick decided that a visit to Logan was in order. He needed to find out if Scott had been telling the truth about the payoff. Beth wanted to take the partial plate to Talbot. Mick agreed grudgingly. He'd seen the way the ADA looked at Beth. It made him want to hit something, preferably Talbot's pretty face. Mick suppressed the urge.

"OK, let me go change and then we can head out. I don't want you walking to your car alone."

"Mick, it's broad daylight."

"I know. Do you really want to face the horde outside alone?"

Beth paused. "Not my idea of fun, now that you mention it."

"OK, I'll just be a sec."

True to his word, Mick returned a few minutes later dressed in his standard jeans and Henley. Grabbing his coat, he said, "Ready?"

Beth nodded. They took the elevator down to the first floor. Just before they reached the doors, Mick grabbed Beth's arm and dragged her to a dark corner. Beth looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Then, before he lost his nerve, Mick lowered his head and kissed her. It wasn't the desperate, longing kiss from the other night. This one was tentative, almost shy. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough. It was a kiss full of promise. When they broke apart, Beth raised her hand to his cheek. "You be careful today, OK?"

Mick smiled softly. "I will. I'll call you when I know something."

Together they exited the building. The flashes started almost as soon as Mick opened the door. He made sure Beth was securely in her Pruis before heading for the Mercedes. He had a killer to catch.

_FINIS_


End file.
